Archive for the Travel Category
Jan. 4-6
I spent most of Sunday walking around the city taking in some of the sites, street fairs, and many, many shops.
Plaza Fuerza Aerea Argentina, originally uploaded by dollop.
Plaza Libertador General San Martin, originally uploaded by dollop.
La Recoleta Cemetery, originally uploaded by dollop.
I have found one souvenir to bring home, a leather jacket. I found a leather jacket factory that custom tailors and so upon my visit I tried on many styles and took what I liked from about three different jackets and have provided instructions for my jacket design, in addition to choosing the type of leather. Hopefully it will be a good fit and look. I pick it up on my way to the airport tomorrow morning.
This has been a great trip. I was fortunate enough to see a lot of the country. I’m amazed how much I was able to see. It has also been a very relaxing trip. Each place I visited I averaged four nights so I never felt like I was in a rush.
I depart for San Francisco tomorrow afternoon and expect to arrive early Wednesday evening. Back in the office Thursday morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed.
Chau Argentina!
Jan 1-3
The New Year’s celebration in Mendoza was the most sedate I have ever experienced. It was not a bad thing at all. After a full day of wine tasting I was truly satisfied. I walked around the plaza outside my hotel 30 minutes prior to midnight and the streets were absent of any traffic. I was able to walk in the middle of the street without any problem. The Hyatt Hotel was located next door to where I was staying and they had a very swanky party happening that I invited myself to. I walked around the Hyatt hotel a bit and just before midnight walked outside and stood in the center of the Plaza Independencia. The last thing I did in 2008 and the first thing I did in 2009 was smoke a Montecristo Cigar. At midnight fireworks were launched just a few feet away from the roof of the Hyatt Hotel and a few people did a New Year dance with sparklers in the plaza. The sounds of random fireworks could be heard for several more hours. It was a very good welcoming into the New Year.
The entire city of Mendoza was shutdown on New Year’s Day. I walked around the city some more and it was surreal how the city was absent of any activity. I spent most of the day reading at my hotel. Around 6pm the city started to come alive again. A few sidewalk cafe´s opened but it was not until the following day that things returned to normal. Friday morning I was picked up from my hotel for a water rafting trip at the Mendoza River in Potrerillos. The rapids were a tame class III-IV. The water was extremely cold. Wet suits were provided and much appreciated. I certainly got wet and the hardest part was maintaining a grip on the paddle since my hands were numb from the cold. The rafting trip lasted several hours and I returned to my hotel in the early evening and had a siesta. After my short nap I headed out to the Vines of Mendoza for a final night of wine and cheese.
Dec. 28-31
I successfully traveled to Mendoza from Bariloche on a bus. The bus trip was rather luxurious and surprisingly comfortable. The bus was a double- decker and my seat was able to fully recline. There were movies displayed on flat screen displays, in addition there was a game of bingo where the winner received a bottle of wine (not me). The trip started at 3pm and the movies and games ended around 10pm. I slept the remainder of the trip. I arrived to Mendoza at 8:30am the following morning.
The weather in Mendoza has been very hot, averaging 85 degrees in the shade. Mendoza is in the dessert but you would not know it with the abundant irrigation ditches known as acequias that run beside every main road. There are fountains in every main plaza so I am never far from the burble of running water.
Plaza Independencia, originally uploaded by dollop.
Tuesday I walked around Mendoza and booked a wine tour for the following day. In the evening I visited The Vines of Mendoza and participated in a personal wine tasting that introduced me to Legendary Malbecs and provided preparation for my day of wine tasting for the following day.
Wednesday morning I was picked up from my hotel at 8:30am and joined five others on an excellent tour of some wineries in Mendoza.
First we took a tour of Alta Vista, an old style winery completely renovated and refurbished by a French wine family. We sampled Torrontes, Bonarda, Malbec and had a special tasting of their Grand Reserve, one of Argentina’s best Malbecs.
Barrels used for aging, originally uploaded by dollop.
Next we had a tank and barrel tasting at the large, ultra-modern Bodega Tapiz. We started the tour with a horse drawn ride through the vineyard and an instructive tour of the winery followed.
Carriage ride through the vineyards, originally uploaded by dollop.
Metal tanks used for large volumes of production, originally uploaded by dollop.
Lunch was at the Ruca Malen. We enjoyed a five-course gourmet meal, created by chef Lucas Bustos who paired each dish with five different wines, including Ruca Malen’s top varietal Kinien.
View from Ruca Malen, originally uploaded by dollop.
We finished the tour at the boutique winery CarinaE. We met the owners of the winery, Brigitte and Philippe Subra and I ended up purchasing a bottle of a special reserve Malbec directly from Philippe to bring home.
I returned to my hotel at 6:00pm with a much better appreciation for wine. It was an excellent way to spend the last day of the year.
Dec. 25-27
Lake Nahuel Huapi, originally uploaded by dollop.
Barliloche is a happening little town located in the foothills of the Andes, surrounded by lakes. The town is bustling with lots of tourists taking in the summertime activities. Barlioche is also Argentina’s chocolate capital and many of the storefronts are dedicated to fresh chocolate and I have had my fill.
Chocolate at Mamushchka, originally uploaded by dollop.
On Thursday in the late afternoon I took a tour of the nearby lake, Nahuel Huapi. The tour was a couple of hours and the views reminded me of Lake Tahoe in California. On Friday morning I took an extended tour of the area known as The Road of Seven Lakes. It was a full day tour that traveled through two national parks and through several towns including San Martin which is a mellower version of Bariloche.
San Martín de los Andes, originally uploaded by dollop.
Half of the tour was on paved roads and the other half was on gravel road which provided a bit of a rough ride but it’s hard to complain when surrounded by such beautiful landscapes. The tour of the seven lakes arrived back to my hotel at 8pm. Today I spent most my day preparing for my departure to Mendoza tomorrow. I purchased a bus ticket (I am going to give the bus another attempt) that will take me directly from Bariloche to Mendoza, so there won’t be any transfer mishaps. In addition, I purchased a plane ticket back to Buenos Aires from Mendoza next weekend. I will spend a final day in Buenos Aires before my departure back to San Francisco. I will be spending a total of six nights in Mendoza and I hope that Mendoza will meet my expectations since I will be spending a significant amount of time there. The internet access in Barlioche has been very slow when accessible so hopefully I will be able to publish more photos once in Mendoza.
Dec. 23-24
El Calefate to El Chalten, back to El Calefate, and finally to Barlioche.
On Tuesday morning I left El Calefate by bus and was supposed to travel on a two day journey to Barlioche, however there was a transfer from the first bus to a second bus two hours into the journey that I somehow missed. I witnessed the transfer take place, however I did not know until it was too late that I was supposed to participate. I ended up in El Chalten a very small village located 220km north of El Calafate. The highlight of my hour stay in El Chalten was my downfall. I am traveling with two backpacks. My main backpack that weighs about 60 pounds and I have another that I wear in front that contains my photography gear. It’s another 20 pounds easily. When I got off the bus there were 30+ mile an hour winds and I attempted to walk from the bus to the bus station/hostel a few yards away to figure out my next move. With both packs on I turned into a human wind-sail and my feet where unable to keep up with my surprised momentum and I ended up tripping over a downed tree a few feet away from the bus. I banged my shin hard enough that it tore my pants but my ego was hurt the most. Once on the ground I had to free myself from my packs in order to get up and I had a bus load of people all wide eyed in my direction. I am sure for those watching me extract myself from my gear while face down on the ground and half bent over a tree was very amusing. Once free, I chose to drag my back packs into the bus station/hostel for fear of taking flight again. I had only one option once I arrived to El Chalten and that was to return with the bus back to El Calefate since another bus would not arrive for two more days. After spending a total of 9 hours riding the bus I ended back where I started. I had enough of the bus and decided to fly to Barlioche the following day. I arrived in Barlioche Christmas Eve and the few restaurants that were open where all reserved for special Christmas Eve dinners. I ended up finding a small market and purchased a ham sand-which, some grapes, and a chocolate bar.
Feliz Navidad!
